This invention relates to diode detector circuits and more particularly to a passive, temperature compensated high efficiency diode detector
Diode detectors had been known in the art from the first days of radio. They are used to demodulate radio frequency (RF) or any other alternating current (AC) signal and turn it into voltage representative of the modulating waveform. A common diode detector is shown in FIG. 1. AC, sonic, sub sonic, ultra sonic or RF energy and the like (commonly referred to as RF hereinafter) is rectified by diode D1 that acts as a non-linear element for the conversion. While a Schottky diode is preferred, alternative asymmetric junctions are also suitable. The rectified signal is integrated by the capacitor C1 which also serves as the ground return path for the RF signal.
Additional components are frequently included to improve functionality. By way of example, inductor L1 may be employed to provide electrical matching. Resistor R1 and capacitor C2 offer a low pass filter for additional integration time and improved signal to noise ratio. Capacitor C3 is frequently employed to decouple the incoming RF from DC voltages in the circuit.
Those skilled in the art have long recognized that the diode detector may be used to generate voltage that is representative of the AC power inserted into the detector circuit. A typical diode detector circuit as shown in FIG. 1 has a wide frequency response, and a reasonably low conversion loss in the order of six or seven dB.
The circuit however, suffers from poor thermal stability. Several solutions are known in the art to improve stability over a wide temperature range, and are based generally on placing a pair of matching diodes in a the same ambient environment, exposing only one to the RF signal (a detector diode), and utilizing the other (a compensation diode) to cancel or minimize the effects of temperature on the first. An example of such circuit may be seen in FIG. 2, which utilizes a differential amplifier to reduce effects of the thermal characteristics of the diodes. Differential amplifier 25 amplifies the difference between the signal induced in each of the diodes and thus compensate for temperature drift. While the circuit of FIG. 2 offers temperature compensation, the cost, size, weight, and power requirements of the differential amplifier are prohibitive for many applications. The need for positive 24 and negative 22 power supplies further complicates circuit design, and is in stark contrast to the passive nature of the circuit of FIG. 1. Furthermore, the differential amplifiers typically have restricted operating temperature range, whereas the passive components operate over much larger temperature extremes. Thus there are distinct advantages for a detector circuit that does not require a differential amplifier.
Another example of a temperature compensated envelope detector is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,472 to Eastland et al. Eastland teaches a voltage doubler envelope detector, with a forward bias applied to the detector input to shift detector operation out of the nonlinear square law region of operation. The temperature compensation is achieved by having a signal path extending through the envelope detector to one input of a differential amplifier, and having a similar reference path using similar diodes extending to the other input of the same differential amplifier. The difference voltage between the two paths is relatively less affected by temperature variations.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,995 Tamura teaches an envelope detector comprising of passive elements. Essentially, the Tamura system provides a voltage divider, with a series leg having one diode, and an equivalent or similar parallel leg having a second diode. The detector output is from the junction between the legs. As similar DC current flows through both diodes, they exhibit very similar dynamic resistance, and thus one diode compensates for the temperature variability of the other, and the detector has good temperature stability. However, the Tamura circuit suffers a major drawback: Due to the voltage divider, the circuit provides only one half of the voltage provided by a single diode, non-compensated detector. This reduces the signal to noise ratio of the detector by about 6 dB.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,630, Eriksson describes another temperature compensated diode detector. Eriksson provides for a detector diode and a compensation diode in series, and connects an output buffer at the output of the detector diode. As the Eriksson system is also based on a voltage divider, it suffers from a 50% (6 dB) decrease in detection efficiency over the single diode detector, which like the Tamura circuit translates into lower dynamic range and lower signal to noise ratio.
In xe2x80x9cA Suppressed Harmonic Power Detector for Dual Band Phonesxe2x80x9d, (Alan Rixon and Raymond Waugh, APPLIED MICROWAVE and WIRELESS, November 1999, pp. 62-68 (Noble Press)) Rixon et al provide another temperature compensated detector, as seen in FIG. 3. The circuit is designed towards suppressing the second harmonic of the detected signal. When measured with a differential amplifier the Waugh circuit provides good temperature stability but again suffers from the disadvantages of low efficiency and the use of a differential amplifier entails all the liabilities mentioned above.
Voltage multipliers are well known in the art. One may envision the voltage multiplier as a network in which by an arrangement of diodes a plurality of capacitors are connected in parallel to be charged, and connected in series to be discharged, thus effectively doubling the input voltage.
The numerous attempts described above as well as many others point to a clear, and heretofore unfulfilled need in the industry for a high efficiency, temperature stable, envelope detector. The present invention aims to provide such a detector.
It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide a high efficiency temperature compensated envelope detector circuit. Preferably, the circuit will require only passive components such as capacitors, resistors and diodes. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the output of the detector may be coupled to any number of active components such as amplifiers, transistors, and the like, but that the configuration disclosed herein provide a high efficiency, temperature compensated, demodulated output corresponding to the incoming signal, requiring only passive components.
The ideal detector will provide sufficient signal to noise ratio (determined by the conversion efficiency) to allow the user to place the detector remotely from the active components while maintaining signal integrity. This allows passive detection of electrical signals in a harsh environment.
Therefore it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a temperature compensated diode detector comprising a detector network and a divider network, each having an equal number of diodes therein, wherein the detector network is adapted to be coupled to an input signal and is operative to detect a voltage commensurating with said input signal and to multiply said detected voltage to produce a multiplied voltage, and wherein said divider network is coupled to said multiplied voltage and is operative to reduce said multiplied voltage. One may view the temperature compensation achieved, by reducing the multiplied voltage in a temperature dependent manner, preferably directly due to changes in the dynamic impedance of the diodes in the divider network, which corresponds to the change in dynamic impedance of the diodes in the detector network. Therefore, it is preferable that the detector network and the divider network each has substantially equal temperature dependent dynamic impedance characteristics.
Also preferably, the detector network and the divider network are coupled in series, and an output is taken from a junction therebetween. More preferably, the divider divides said multiplied voltage by a pre-determined factor, preferably of 2 or an approximation thereof.
It is also an aspect of the present invention to provide a diode detector comprising an input terminal adapted to receive an input signal, and an output terminal for outputting a detected voltage commensurating with said input signal, a detector network comprising a detector diode, coupled to said input signal for producing a detected voltage, and an integrating reactance (such as a capacitor for a series detector and an inductor for a shunt detector), and a voltage multiplier circuit comprising at least one multiplier diode. The voltage multiplier is coupled to the detected voltage and produces multiplied voltage. A divider network comprising a plurality of diodes equaling in number to the number of diodes in the detector network, is coupled to the multiplier so as to divide the multiplied voltage by a pre-determined divider factor of 2, or an approximate thereof. Preferably, the detector diode is integrated within the voltage multiplier.
Most preferably, both the detector network and the divider network are embedded within a single integrated circuit, however in a preferred embodiment all diodes in both networks are implemented on a single substrate or in a single package using die that were adjacent on the source wafer. This will provide the best possible matching of the diodes temperature coefficients, which is highly desirable.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the detector network and the divider network each have a resistive element embedded therein. In one embodiment, the resistive elements comprise FET transistors wired to operate as resistors.
In a preferred embodiment, the detector network comprises a multiplier diode having a circuit ground coupled cathode. The detector diode cathode is coupled to the anode of said multiplier diode. An integrating capacitor is coupled between the anode of the detector diode and circuit ground. An injecting capacitor, also acting as a part of the voltage multiplier, couples the AC input signal to the cathode of said detecting diode. A plurality of multiplier and detector diode pairs may be placed in series creating an m-diode detector with a conversion efficiency m-fold higher than that of a single diode. The multiplier produces multiplied voltage with relation to the input signal. The divider network comprises of similar number of series connected diodes (m) to the number of series connected diodes in the detector network, and is coupled to the multiplied voltage preferably via the integrating capacitor. As such the divider network provides an equal dynamic impedance component, and acts as a voltage divider to divide the voltage multiplier output by a factor of 2 or an approximate thereof. The combined circuit has an approximate conversion efficiency of m/2 and is temperature compensated. Most preferably, all diodes in the detector network and the divider network form a single series circuit branch with all diodes having the same polarity within the branch. It should be noted that the polarity of the diodes as described and shown is given by way of example only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the circuit will operate in a similar fashion if all the polarities described above are reversed, and thus a similar circuit with inverted diode polarities is equivalent to the circuit shown, and that claims to one circuit extend to the opposite polarity circuit.
In another embodiment, said diode arrangement is biased by a fixed current flowing through the 2m series-connected diodes. Preferably, the circuit is arranged such that all diodes in the detector, multiplier and divider segments form a single series circuit branch, causing all of the diodes to share a common bias current.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a method for producing an output voltage commensurating with an alternating current input signal, the method comprising the steps of coupling an input signal into at least one detector diode and integrating capacitor to produce detected voltage, multiplying said detected voltage using a voltage multiplier having at least one multiplier diode to produce multiplied voltage, and dividing said multiplied voltage using a divider network comprising a number of diodes equal to the sum of diodes used in said step of detecting and said step of multiplying. Preferably the divider network divides multiplied voltage by a factor of 2 or an approximate thereof.
The invention is usable in many applications including when embedded within any integrated circuit, for bolometers, as demodulators in radio devices, and most specifically in digital radio or in Automatic Gain Control (AGC) or Automatic Level Control (ALC) circuits that are specially sensitive when used for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). Uses also extend to spectrum analyzer and similar instrumentation. A significant advantage of the invention is the ability to place a passive, sensitive, temperature compensated detector in a harsh environment at the terminal end of a cable while obtaining sufficient signal integrity at the active electronic processing circuitry, located remotely from the harsh environment. This capability addresses not only passive detection of RF signals, but also power level and insertion loss measurements in sensors based on the propagation of RF, sonic, subsonic or ultrasonic signals in piezoelectric devices and other ultrasonic sensor devices.